Because Things Change
by xXWinterSonataXx
Summary: She's married. And he's engaged to be. But Serenity's visit to introduce him to the family will force both to come to terms with the things they thought they'd left behind. Gentleshipping-Conquestshipping-Polarshipping
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Neither Crime Scene Fairy nor xXWinterSonataXx owns Yu-Gi-Oh!. But we're sure you knew that already, right? ;)

* * *

_**Because Things Change**_

**Chapter One**

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Morning birds always sing the sweetest melodies when daylight breaks. And when they do, a bright and cheery day is practically guaranteed. And well, if your day sucks, then at least a bunch of dumb birds will be mocking you too.

But Valon didn't hear birds sing. Instead, they twittered happily and flapped their wings outside his window, chirping so shrilly that he pulled his thick pillow over his head to block out the noise. When that did nothing, he fumbled around the bed for an extra pillow and hurled it at the window.

The resounding thunk was more satisfying than it probably should have been.

"Valon!" shrieked a voice from the kitchen. Bare feet pattered against the hardwood floor and suddenly, she poked her head into the room. Her brown eyes were wild. "What just happened?"

Unwillingly, he leaned his body up on one arm, to glare at her and raise one bleary eyebrow. She glanced down at the pillow on the floor and stifled a giggle.

"I should not have let you install that birdhouse on the deck," he mumbled, dropping back down and rubbing his eyes wearily. He brought the covers over his shoulder, snuggling back into his cocoon of white sheets. "Serenity—"

"I don't know," she said slowly, stepping towards the window. He could practically hear the smirk in her voice. She placed a few fingers on the pane of glass, gazing out at the simple wooden birdhouse sitting on their deck that she'd built from a kit. "I think it adds sort of a nice…homey-ness to this place."

"Serenity, you redecorated my entire apartment. What more "homey-ness" do you need?" asked Valon, his voice muffled by the pillow. "I think the birds need to go."

She laughed gaily, launching herself onto the bed so that she was on top of him. She brushed away a few stray locks of his mussed brown hair until she could see his face. "They're really sweet, you know."

He opened his eyes blearily, ignoring her comment as he eyed the white button down shirt she was wearing. "And you're even wearing my clothes."

A grin spread across her lips. Even though he was still half-asleep, he couldn't miss the gleefully teasing smile in the lovely brown eyes that hovered above his. She drew her finger down the slope of his nose. "You are always too cranky in the morning," she murmured, leaning in for a kiss. He caught a whiff of her morning coffee on her lips.

"Get me in a better mood then." He wrapped his arms around her thin waist, pulling her closer.

"Mm. Wish. But not today." She broke away and slipped off the bed, shattering the mood. Valon mentally groaned; she always had a knack for ruining moments. Unless she wanted something…and then, she was so skilled at getting what it was that she desired.

Independence did shine on Serenity Wheeler well.

"And why not?" he asked as he watched her scurry into her closet. He yawned and ran a hand through his hair again, still feeling exhausted.

"You really _are _tired," Serenity noted as she came back out of her closet with a fistful of clothes. She tilted her head to a side, a worried look on her face. "Are you okay? It's not like you to forget...well, _anything_."

"I did not forget," said Valon stoutly, suppressing a childish huff. He pushed himself off the bed, glancing briefly at the calender hanging near the window, where Serenity had hastily scrawled a note in bright red, accompanied with a silly happy face on the today's date. The words made him cringe. "I know we're leaving for Japan at two," he informed her. "I just thought we still had time."

"Yeah, sure," Serenity said, giving him another smirk. "Aren't you excited?"

_No._

But he wasn't about to tell her that.

"Who's going to be picking us up from the airport again?" he asked instead, kicking open his green suitcase. He hadn't packed the night before, unlike Serenity, who'd spent the last week organizing. He pulled open a drawer of his dresser, surveying the clothes. "Your brother?"

"I think," said Serenity absentmindedly as she stuffed socks into the side pockets of her suitcase.

"Is Mai going to be there?" Valon posed the question nonchalantly. He tilted his face slightly away so she wouldn't see his face.

"I guess…" Serenity didn't seem to think much of the question, unaware that Valon's heart was racing. Would she suspect anything? "Hey, do you think they'll make us stay longer after we tell them?"

Clearly not.

"Serenity." Valon finally glanced over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at her. "They're your family."

"Yeah, I know…" she scratched her head, puzzled. "Well, in that case…"

She stepped into her closest again. Valon breathed a barely audible sigh of relief. He looked over at the other side of the room where his girlfriend, well, now fiancée, was packing, totally unaware of his emotions.

In twelve hours, he would see the wife of his future brother-in-law again. Just the thought was enough to make his heart hammer away at his chest.

Valon gritted his teeth as he went back to focusing on his messy drawer. He reached in and grabbed a handful of clothes, then tossed them into the suitcase. He'd planted ecstatic smiles on his face when Serenity announced that she wanted to go back to Japan to tell her family and friends the good news, but inside, he'd been totally filled with dread.

Was faking an illness still possible?

But worse, would she believe him?

Serenity was naïve. But not definitely not stupid. And after a year of dating her and six months of living together, Valon was sure he knew which one his girlfriend was, no matter how closely related they might be.

"Valon, I'm just going to go around the corner and pick up some bagels for breakfast," said Serenity, as she quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and donned a her own, more fitted version of his white buttoned shirt. She quickly twisted her hair into a messy bun and turned around, giving him a smile. "Is that okay? The taxi should be here when I get back."

He'd been momentarily stunned by her. One moment, she was totally inappropriately dressed and the next, she looked so simple and beautiful with barely any effort. Did she have a superpower? It would explain a lot of things about her...

_Mai would have taken hours._

"Valon?" asked Serenity, concerned. "Did you—"

He gave an easy grin, then stepped over the mounds of clothing to give her a quick kiss on her cheek. "Yes, it's fine," he reassured her. "We'll just take it to go. I promise I'll be ready once you get back."

"Alright," said Serenity, giving him a smile before heading out the door. "See you later!"

She hurried out, leaving Valon with his thoughts. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and collapsed back against the bed, staring at the blank ceiling.

_Is even going a good idea? _He forced himself to take a deep, calming breath, and then turned his head to glance at the calender on the wall.

A week. He could last a week.

_I guess we'll all find out..._

**-xxx-**

"Joey!" called out Mai as she hurried out of the kitchen their small house. A frown was present on the blonde's face as she glanced around the foyer, but she still couldn't find the person she was looking for.

"We're going to be late!" she threatened, checking the clock on the wall. Her sister-in-law's plane would land soon, and Mai knew they had to get to the airport to meet them.

Of course, she had to find her husband first.

Mai suddenly heard a grating noise from above her. She frowned, wondering if she had just imagined it. She glanced towards the stairs, and then everything made perfect sense in her mind. The frown was replaced by a little half-smile as she trooped up the stairs and headed into the guest bedroom at the end of the hall.

"Joey?" Mai asked. He stood in the doorway of the bedroom, so focused on the task at hand that he jolted when Mai spoke.

"Oh, Mai," Joey said once he recovered. He gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry about that, I'm just thinking, that's all." He surveyed the room. "Do you think the bed is better pushed against that wall or vertically?"

"Is that what you were doing?" asked Mai, trying to hide her exasperation. Joey had been doing this at least four times a day for the last week. Mai and Joey had gotten the bedroom ready for Serenity and her boyfriend last weekend, but Joey kept insisting that something was wrong. The first time he had suggested that thought, Mai had added in a picture of Joey and Serenity as children. She knew that her sister-in-law was going to like the bedroom, but Joey didn't seem to think so yet. Mai sarcastically suggested bringing in a feng shui expert, just as a joke, but to her horror, Joey actually ran to the computer to Google one in their area.

She tilted her head as she observed the room. It was simple and didn't even have anything extraordinary, but still, Joey just wasn't satisfied. A dresser had been placed against the left side of the wall, and there was a little alcove in the room beneath the window, where the bed had been pushed inside. But at the moment, Joey had dragged it halfway out.

"Maybe it goes better if the dresser were in there—"

"Joey." Mai set down her bag and pushed the bed back in, straightening the royal purple covers that Joey had actually accompanied her to get. The guy's dedication was amazing. "It's fine. I swear."

"Promise?"

"Stop being so worried."

Joey's easy grin grew. "That easy to tell?"

"No, I just know you very, very well." Mai rolled her eyes. "What do you think, Joseph?"

Joey gave a small laugh. "I just want it to be perfect for her, Mai. I mean, she's my baby sister, and this is the first time that we've seen her since the wedding..." As Joey spoke, he turned his gaze towards another picture that sat on the dresser. This picture had been taken a few years ago at their wedding, and showed a glowing Mai, a proud Joey, and an ecstatic Serenity.

As Joey mentioned the wedding, Mai unconsciously fingered the wedding band on her finger, twisting it fully around. She and Joey had been married about three years now. Mai was happy, she knew that she was. But there was just something missing from it all. Joey seemed to be perfectly happy about where they were in life. Mai, however, felt... a bit awkward. Married life just wasn't what she expected.

She shook her head, trying to get rid of those thoughts. She wasn't going to think like that. Not today, when Serenity was coming back from Australia. Not when Serenity was finally going to introduce her boyfriend to her family. She knew how serious Serenity was about this guy. The younger woman was crazy about her boyfriend... even though Mai couldn't remember his name to save her life.

"She's your sister, Joey," Mai reminded her husband softly. She touched his upper arm, giving it a slight squeeze. "And if I know Serenity, she's just going to be glad to see you again. You've both missed each other like crazy, I guarantee it."

Joey looked thoughtful for a moment before giving a small, grateful smile. "Thanks, Mai," he whispered quietly. He leaned down, kissing Mai gently, before pulling away slowly. The smile on his face did nothing to stop a small smile from forming on Mai's face.

"Okay, come on, we better head out. The plane's going to land soon," Mai told her husband. She let go of Joey's arm, heading down the hallway and down the stairs. She glanced back as she realized Joey wasn't following her. "C'mon, Joey!"

Joey jumped in surprise before giving a bright grin. He followed his wife a moment later, closing the door of the guest bedroom behind him. As they left the house and got into the car, Joey suddenly frowned, glancing at his wife.

"Mai, do you even know that guy's name?"

Mai rolled her eyes, shooting Joey a half-scolding look. "Joey, he's not 'that guy', he's the young man who's been dating your sister for over a year. According to Serenity, they're getting pretty serious."

"...you don't know his name?"

"No, but we'll find out soon enough, won't we?"

Joey gave a small shrug. "Guess so." He gave a small smile before taking Mai's hand in his own and giving it a squeeze. "He better be good enough for my little sister, though."

Mai chuckled as the car pulled out of the driveway. She didn't realize that she hadn't stopped fiddling with her wedding band.

The ride to the airport consisted of a one-sided discussion, with Joey chattering on and on about what he had planned to do once his sister was finally around, and Mai just sitting in the front seat, playing with the circlet around her finger and nodding. His enthusiasm, today, was not infectious and Mai could feel herself grow weary of his chatter.

They got to the airport at least half an hour later than Joey had planned. He parked the car in front of the pick-up zone, where they were specifically _not_ supposed to be, and Mai stifled a wry smile, shaking her head. This was the only sort of reckless thing Fate allowed her to indulge in nowadays. And as she ran with Joey throughout the airport, she couldn't help but remember how things used to be. How, before, everything was unpredictable. How, before, lives would depend on that one, single move. The rush of adrenaline from that alone was incomparable to the anxiety of getting a parking citation.

Oh, how things had changed.

"They're around here somewhere," said Joey, straining his neck as he searched the crowd. He fumbled for his phone, checking the screen. "She didn't send me a message or anything...but the guy at the info desk said the plane landed at least two hours ago!"

Mai suddenly caught a flash of red. "Joey—"

"Oh! I saw them!" He grabbed her hand tightly and dragged her with him. Before she knew it, her husband was jumping up and down like a maniac, waving his free hand, trying to get the attention of his sister.

Mai felt her cheeks redden. People were staring at _both _of them, and for once, she wished she was a part of the crowd. Mai focused her attentions instead on the young, red-headed girl, who had one hand covering half her face to stifle her laughter, the other holding the hand of a young man. Something about him was so familiar...Mai tilted her head...

And then, she froze.

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**Author's Note: **This is the first chapter of the collab between the awesome Crime Scene Fairy and me :D We were talking about how we just could _not_ see Joey with anyone else except Mai...but how Mai was just a little bit..._different_ ;) Then _boom, _we got BTC!**  
**

Well, that's it for the first chapter. We hope you enjoyed it! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Yu-Gi-Oh! ain't mine.

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**_Because Things Change_**

**Chapter Two**

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This was some sort of joke.

This just _had_ to be some sick person's idea of a joke.

Mai watched Valon, struggling to keep her mouth from falling open. He shuffled behind Serenity, his slow pace and resentful look in his eyes clearly conveying how much he thought it sucked to have to be in his present position. How could her sister-in-law really not see it? Was this some sort of dense cluelessness that all Wheelers inherited in their genome? Secretly, Mai hoped none of her future children would get it.

"Hello!" exclaimed Serenity joyfully. She must have missed the looks on their faces, because she hurried forward to give them each a massive hug. But when her brother didn't hug her back, she drew away hesitantly, for the first time noticing the dumbfounded look in Joey's eyes.

"_You_..." Joey managed to stammer out. Mai didn't think he even realized his sister had just hugged him— he was _that_ pissed off. "_You're_ dating my sister?"

"Surprise," said Valon, his voice completely devoid of everything but boredom. "This probably warrants some popped champagne and balloons, doesn't it?"

Something came out of her husband's throat like a strangled cry. He advanced one step, just barely towering over Valon with furious eyes. "_My_ sister—"

Despite her own shock, Mai had the self-control not to lose it like Joey. She latched onto his wrist with a vice-like grip and pulled him back. "Calm down, Joey," she said, though she was having trouble doing the same thing.

"_Mai_!" he turned to his wife, betrayed. "This is _Valon_ we're talking about here!" He jabbed a finger towards the still careless Australian. "You know—"

"That we've all buried the hatchet and moved on?" Valon finished, raising an eyebrow. "Great that you both have straightened that out, because I'm kind of starving and that plane did not serve good food."

There was total silence. Mai didn't know what to make of his false cheeriness. The female Wheeler broke it with a nervous giggle.

"Joey, it's fine, I promise," Serenity said, in an effort to reassure her big brother. "We've been together for over a year now."

"Over a year, and you didn't at all feel the need to mention to your big brother the identity of your new boyfriend?" Joey spat, all in one breath. Mai admired her husband's feat. "Has he unleashed giant dragons and tried to kill you?"

Whatever feeling she had towards Valon at the moment (ambivalence? anger? betrayal?), she had to roll her eyes at that. "Dartz is gone, and he's not coming back, Joey," she said.

Her husband turned on her. "_You_ would know," he said, with a scowl. Mai felt a defiant retort rise to her lips, but her husband had already moved to face Valon again. "And that doesn't mean he can't have other tricks up his sleeve. And if _this_ is one of them, Valon, I swear—"

"— that you would have challenged me to a duel and I would have lost. _Fine_. So can we leave yet? You've attracted quite an audience."

Joey glanced to the right and left, at the people who were all currently watching them. If Mai knew her husband, she knew that this was the first moment he'd even realized that they'd gotten the attention of everyone else in the airport. His cheeks reddened.

"Fine," he spat, grabbing Serenity's luggage from Valon's grasp. "But we're not done."

With that, he stalked away. Serenity looked like she wanted to cry. Valon, sensitive as he had become, placed a gentle hand at the small of her back to comfort her. Mai watched the two glance at each other, one with hopelessness, the other with encouragement. When had he become this way? Joey, though he was already walking away, must not have missed the tiny gesture, because he quickly stormed back, snatched his sister's wrist, and dragged her forcibly out of the airport.

"Did you know what you're getting into?" Mai asked in a low voice, without turning to face Valon. She crossed her arms and poked her tongue at her cheek in amusement as she watched a security guard corner her husband about parking their car in the loading zone. But Joey, still infuriated about his sister's well-hidden secret, exploded back with all his frustration at the poor man.

"Of course I did," muttered Valon. He shook his head, running one hand through his tousled brown hair. "But she wanted it so much. How could I say no? Saying no to Serenity is like kicking a newborn puppy."

This caused Mai to turn towards him with an appalled look on her face. He glanced down, taken aback by her sudden glare. "What?"

"When did you become so touchy-feely?" she asked, almost accusingly. He shrugged.

"What caused you to settle down?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Mai, insulted.

"Exactly," he replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine. Don't give me an answer," she retorted hotly, but she knew what he'd done. They had both changed as people, and neither of them were ready to accept those adjustments. He'd turned the tables against her, forcing her to face the issue. But she forced it all away, the way she had done with everything lately. "That doesn't change the fact that you have only five days to win over the affections of my _husband_. Good luck. You'll need it."

"But what about yours, Mai?" asked Valon, his voice teasing. "Have I yours, at least?"

_Maybe once you start to answer my questions without making me feel bad, I'll have a better answer, _was what came to her mind. But his words made her stop. Was he flirting with her? After only ten minutes of reconnecting? Or was this just how friends, old friends who had built a relationship on constant bickering and acrid flirtations, treated each other when they finally met again? Was this just all in her head?

Frustrated with herself, she shoved the fretting from her mind. Out loud, she replied, "You most definitely have something of mine, and it's more than possible that it's the opposite of love."

"_Wow_ Mai," said Valon, mocking hurt. At least, it sounded that way. She didn't want to know. "You know the opposite of love is indifference. But after all we've been through? I thought you'd still retain something a little less...I don't know, brutal?"

Mai looked away, letting her golden blonde hair hide the gentle flush of her cheeks. "So pretend then, Valon, that what I'm really feeling is a very strong spite rather than indifference. Maybe your imagination will provide enough of a consolation to help you cope." She folded her arms together, watching as the security guard finally lost the battle and trudged away. Joey yelled a few last choice words, before turning around to pop open the trunk and load the luggage. Serenity buried her face into her hands.

Mai suddenly felt like doing the same thing. But instead, she steeled herself and turned to Valon.

"Come on, jerk. Time to go."

* * *

"What's your last name?"

"Bentley."

"What's your occupation?"

"I'm a motorcycle mechanist."

"Are you clean of drugs?"

"...I kind of have to be, if I don't want to kill myself at work."

"How much money do you earn?"

"What?"

"Have you been engaging in any dark, suspicious activities lately?"

"Huh?"

"Have you—"

"Okay, stop it!" Serenity shouted, getting to her feet. She'd placed both hands on her hips, glaring at her brother. "You've already established that Valon's clean, clean, _clean_! Are we finished now?"

Her older brother scowled, ignoring her. "Mai, he's sleeping out in the yard tonight, and that's final."

"Your hospitality is so touching," drawled Valon, leaning back against the sofa. He rested one hand against the top, just barely touching Serenity's shoulder as she sat back down, but Mai saw that it was enough to make her husband's eye twitch. "How did you know I love camping trips? Really, Serenity, your brother is just _so_ welcoming."

Valon's sarcasm was causing the eye twitching to morph into a full-on spasm. Mai raised her mug to her lips to hide the smirk. Her husband glowered at her, betrayed. She shrugged in response. It was pathetic, sure— Joey was just too damn protective—and it wasn't her fault that this was the most amusing thing to happen in a long time. She deserved a laugh.

But maybe this was just going a _bit_ overboard.

"Serenity, come with me," she said suddenly, setting down her water glass on the coffee table firmly. "I think it's time to eat. Help me?"

"Oh um, sure," said Serenity, looking a little worried to leave the two men alone, until Mai said, "Valon will be fine. He can take care of himself. And _nothing_—" she glared pointedly at her husband "—is going to happen, not when that stained glass floor lamp is so close to the couch."

Joey huffed a sigh.

Triumphant, Mai turned to Serenity. "Okay. Ready?"

Even if she wasn't completely reassured, Serenity placed a brave smile on her face and followed Mai into the kitchen.

It was no surprise to the whole world that Mai was hardly a domestic wife, but there was just something about her kitchen that she loved. Maybe it was the huge French-door refrigerator that held all her nail polishes, or the expansive windows above the sink and skylight over her head that made her feel like she could breathe.

Or maybe it was because it was the one place in their little house where she could actually sip her morning coffee in peace...alone.

Mai opened the cabinet of the island counter, reaching inside for a pot. She placed it in the sink to fill it with water. "Pasta salad sound okay?"

"Uh yeah, it sounds really good actually," said Serenity, who still stood by the door a little nervously. "What can I uh...help with?"

"There are some cucumbers, tomatoes and..." Mai paused for a second. "Well, basically all kinds of vegetables in the fridge. I'd probably take those two and...maybe carrots? Anything you want, really, I couldn't care less. Cutting board is in that cabinet next to you, and knives are in that other drawer."

Serenity obediently reached for all the materials. "You guys are really healthy," she noted with a smile, setting the vegetables on the counter. "I never thought my brother would stop the junk food craze. We all thought he would become a diabetic."

Mai hauled the pot out of the sink and set it on the stove. She opened another one of the many cabinets in the kitchen and reached for the salt. "Don't presume things so quickly, honey. You've only opened the fridge. Check the pantry and freezer before you make assumptions."

The younger woman laughed. Mai found the rotini pasta she had set aside for this meal that morning, and opened the package. The water would take forever to boil, and the silence was already growing awkward between the two. For a few minutes, there was nothing but the sound of Serenity methodically washing, peeling and slicing the vegetables.

A little aggravated, Mai placed one hand on her hip as she turned to her sister-in-law.

"So...Valon, huh?" Mai commented, keeping her voice carefully modulated so that it was indifferent. "Interesting choice. What made you pick him?"

At this, Serenity's knife paused. Her lips broke into a sheepish smile, and there was a characteristic brightness in her eyes that even cynical Mai couldn't mistake.

"Both you and Joey make him so sound so bad," observed Serenity, as she returned to her vegetables, her cheeks a little flushed. "But really, he's not like that Mai. You have to believe me. He's actually really amazing."

Didn't she know it. Mai raised an eyebrow. "Did he promise to change his horrid ways, just for you?"

This made Serenity look up at her sister-in-law in surprise. "Uhm no, actually. Actually, I don't think so. He was always polite and nice from the beginning."

_That_ didn't sound like the Valon she knew at all. To hide her growing unease, Mai turned back to her now boiling pot of water and dumped the pasta in. "Why did you never tell us his name?" Mai asked, this time sincerely curious. In all the time that she had truly gotten to know Serenity, even before she had married her brother, Mai had noticed that the girl was always so tight-lipped about the boys she dated. Once in a while, they would get a name, but the relationship had run its course before Mai actually got to meet the boy.

"You saw how overprotective Joey is." Serenity shook her head, sighing. "And...I don't know, I guess I just wanted to find the _right_ one before I let you guys know. If I told him know about all the guys I'd dated, he probably would have thought that I was just playing the field and incapable of taking care of myself. I wanted to show him that I'm fine, and that I can find someone who loves me the way both of you love each other."

A heat rose in Mai's cheeks that had nothing to do with the steam of boiling water. Absentmindedly, she stirred the pasta, but Serenity didn't stop talking. And Mai couldn't stop listening.

"Besides, out of all the guys I've dated, Valon is the only one I was completely sure was totally capable of dealing with my big brother's wrath. How was I supposed to know they'd already met?" she chuckled. "I didn't know. Did you know? No one ever told me anything."

No one had ever felt a reason to.

"Do you know anything about it?" continued Serenity, as she reached for the tomato.

This was what people meant about being caught between a rock and a hard spot. Mai was cornered, and completely unwilling to confess. She didn't want any part in this mess, and didn't want to be dragged down into the past. But if she didn't answer, she would still be stuck in a mess of more questions.

"You'll have to ask them," she said finally, evading the truth. She turned her back so she wouldn't have to face Serenity, reaching in a cabinet over the counter for large bowl.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to," said Serenity, deflating. "But are you sure you don't know anything? You mentioned Dartz earlier. Who is that?"

This was getting to the degree of severe claustrophobia. Mai knew that Serenity was only asking so much because she felt so comfortable around her sister-in-law, but that didn't make it any better. Mai just wished she would stop talking. Yeah, she was the one who had initiated the conversation, but she didn't realize just how much it would bug her.

"Is the food done?" asked Joey sudenly as he entered the kitchen. His tone was a little too curt for Mai's preference, but she breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to her pasta, saved from needing to answer irritating questions.

"I think these are," said Mai, fishing out one curly pasta noodle and chewing it slowly. It wasn't overcooked or raw, one of the few times she'd ever done it right. Her sense of pride was marred only by her irritation. She flipped off the heat and poured the noodles into a colander to drain the water, then dumped the pasta into a bowl and set it on the island counter.

"These are too," said Serenity, setting down her knife. She gathered the vegetables into her hands carefully and dropped them into the pasta. From the fridge, Mai retrieved a bottle of Italian dressing and a carton of Parmesan cheese.

"And the bowls…" Mai opened another cabinet and took out four bowls. Serenity, who was slowly growing more accustomed to the kitchen, grabbed a pair of tongs to toss the salad, and then added a heaping portion into each bowl.

All done then," said Mai with flourish, looking towards her husband reproachfully. "You can eat now."

"Thank you," he said, but he must have noticed her tone, because he bent down to give her a gentle kiss. "For your slaving away in the kitchen."

"Yeah, yeah, go eat," she said, pushing him away, but not before he caught the little smile on her lips. Even he knew how much of a feat it was that Mai was cooking in her own kitchen. He gave a little laugh, and helped his sister carry the bowls into the dining room.

Suddenly exhausted from the boring and monotonous task of making pasta, Mai leaned her hands against the sink and stared out the window at the leafy greenery outside. She'd forgotten how much information Serenity was willing to spill with just a single, gentle nudge. If only Mai had remembered, then she wouldn't have to deal with the massive weight of truth and her own admittance.

Never, not even in her wildest hopes, had she ever expected to see Valon again. And never, in her wildest dreams, had she thought Serenity would be in a relationship with a man like him. Always, Mai had thought the redhead's boyfriend would be a quiet, introspective kind of guy, the kind who would much rather stay in with her at night, cuddling as they watched a sappy Korean drama.

Valon was definitely not that kind of guy. He was wild, and rambunctious and, at heart, an adventurer. Yeah, opposites attract...but surely not this much. Mai had always assumed Valon would settle for a girl after his own heart, one who thrived on excitement and thrill, someone who went to the extremes simply because a naysayer had come into her view, someone...

...someone like Mai.

The simple, quiet realization shocked her. Mai ran one hand through her blonde hair, pulling it to one side, letting her fingers trail in the waist-length ends. This was the revelation she had been afraid of, the one she hadn't been willing to admit. Because admitting it meant a whole ton of other things she would need to confront...

There was a sudden gentle touch on her arm that made her jump. She whirled around suddenly, raising a hand to defend herself. Valon caught her wrist.

"Jumpy, aren't you?" he noted, letting go. "You okay?"

"Don't touch me," she breathed, but it was hardly a threat. "And I'm fine...really..." Flustered, she touched her forehead with the back of her hand and turned away, so she wouldn't have to see his face.

"You know, you look just like—"

"Mai?" Joey reappeared at the doorway, and this time, she wasn't sure if she cursed or thanked his timing. The proximity of his wife and his sister's boyfriend made him narrow his eyes again. "What's going on here?"

"I think she's—"

"Nothing, Joey. Valon just scared me," Mai said, glaring at the brown haired man. He closed his mouth automatically, a look of confusion washing over his face. Their eyes met, and, for a split second, it was as though time stood still for them to pass a nonverbal message. They were, after all, two of a kind.

"You better not be thinking about grabbing a knife, Bentley," growled Joey, protective as a raging bear. "Because this is _my_ house and—"

"It's _fine_, Joey," sighed Mai, crossing her arms. "He wouldn't try anything. I promise. Now go eat."

But Joey didn't move. Valon attempted a cheery smile to lighten the tension.

"Okay then," he remarked, clapping his hands together. The attempt at jovial smile was weak on his face, as well as a second too late, but once again, Mai doubted the perception of the Wheeler siblings. "Ready?"

"After you," said Mai dryly, gesturing towards the dining room.

Valon's eyes smiled. "Ladies first."

This exchange had already gone on too long. Mai could sense Joey growing tense again right in front of her, both annoyed and baffled at the civil conversation they were holding. _He picked now to be notice things?_ Mai was beyond irritated. No longer interested in reigning in her patience, she raised her hands in surrender. She stopped leaning against the counter and moved to pass both men to the dining room, where she was sure Serenity was fretting over what was going on.

But just as she rested her hands at her side, her fingers brushed against Valon's forearm. A jolt ran up her own arm and she immediately turned towards him, glaring accusingly. His eyes widened, whether from surprise or something else, she didn't know. Her heart beat a little faster in her chest, making her nervous. Valon must have noticed the sudden hesitation, because he gave a tiny push. She glanced back at him quickly with narrowed eyes.

_Just go_, his eyes seemed to plead. But Mai didn't need to be told twice.

She stalked out.

* * *

_Replies._

**FFNRocks: **It was our intention to make this story drastically different :) I'm glad it worked! Mai is just such a wonderfully unique and strong character, which makes her so much easier to write. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D

**Akiza195: **Thanks for leaving a review! You'll have to keep reading to find out if it's going to be MaxValon :P I'm not saying! Thanks so much for reading!

-xxx-

**Author's Note:** Unfortunately, Crime Scene Fairy is getting really bogged down Real Life, so she can no longer co-write this story with me. But don't worry, because I will still continue this story! :) I am incredibly sorry for how long it has been since the story was first published, but I promise now that updates will not take so long in the future :D

Thank you very, very much for reading this chapter. I appreciate it so much :) Please leave a review before you leave, as I would love to hear your thoughts!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

_**Because Things Change**_

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Dinner was so uncomfortable that Mai wished she could have feigned a raging fever and throbbing headache just to get out of it.

But she'd been legitimately ill just two weeks ago. Joey had heard her hurl all the contents of her stomach into the bathroom sink for three days straight, then watched her sink to the floor with her chest resting against the cool wood of cabinets. He took it upon himself to bring her water and wipe her face clean, then carry her into their bedroom, where he tucked her in and patted her stomach gently. Before she drifted off into sleep, she'd caught the fear in his eyes.

The doctor had said it was a bout of food poisoning, probably from the sushi they'd gotten a few nights before, and it was hard to say who was more relieved.

Mai forked a pasta noodle and put it in her mouth. Using sickness as an excuse wasn't going to work this time. She didn't need Joey freaking out at the dinner table over something nonexistent in her stomach.

So, for the moment, the four of them would just have to endure the most awkward dinner ever in complete silence. The only audible sound was the silverware clinking against plates and methodical chewing. Mai was beginning to think that she should have made a pureed soup with that super-powered blender she'd gotten as a wedding gift, just so that they could have slurped their dinner without a thought to etiquette, and then gone their merry ways.

"So." Valon's voice punctured the silence deliberately. His attempt to be cordial was marred by a soft cough. "How's the weather been lately?"

Clearly, he was the only one brave enough to do anything about the silence.

"Stormy," said Mai, just as Joey grumbled, "Fine."

Valon raised an eyebrow. Mai stabbed another swirly pasta noodle with her fork, moody. Did her husband have to be…well, such a _prick_?

Serenity poked her head up. "It was beautiful today," she pointed out hopefully. "Sunny."

Her brother's eyes narrowed. "You just got lucky," he said, his tone sharp. "We'll see if it lasts."

From Joey's unforgiving and unwavering tone, it was made clear that there was to be no more discussion at this meal. Serenity's head dropped like a wilting plant, her vividly red hair falling into her pasta.

Mai exhaled inaudibly, glancing down at her unappetizing meal. They should have eaten in front of the television. A situation as difficult as this one definitely deserved to break a rule she so avidly enforced in her own home.

Still, even her patience had an end. She rose abruptly from the table, without even glancing at the other people sitting around as she gathered her utensils and headed back into the kitchen. She dropped it into the sink, beside all the other things that would just have to be cleaned later.

She leaned her arms against the edge of the counter, glancing out of the window and savoring a silence that stemmed from peace, not tension. She closed her eyes, trying to make herself breathe and come up with her next course of action.

That could easily be done, she realized as she opened her eyes and turned so that her back rested against the countertop, by getting out of this house, away from the conflict. Her eyes fell onto her car keys.

She crossed the kitchen swiftly, snatching up her clutch and keys, and then tied up her hair into a messy bun. She was already halfway out the door when-

"Is someone on their way out?"

It was jarring to be stopped. Mai glanced over her shoulder, irritated.

"Just for a little bit," she said. "Why?"

"Curious," said Valon, as he dumped three bowls and forks into the sink. He'd cleared the table, Mai realized, while the other two Wheelers were off doing God-knows-what. What a gentleman. Mai tried not to be impressed. "Where are you off to?"

"Errands," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. She had no idea where she was headed, she just wanted to get _out_.

"Remain vague. I'm cool with that."

She held back a frustrated sigh. "What, did you want to come along?" The words blurted themselves out of her mouth before she could take them back. _Damn_.

A cheeky smile flashed on his lips. "Are you offering? Because I'll take any excuse to get out of here."

Mai crossed her arms. "Aren't you tired? You just got off an international flight."

He raised one eyebrow. "Your point?"

"None," she said with a shrug, hiding an amused smile. "Just give me a second."

If only leaving were as easy as declaring it. If she had been by herself, Mai would have just thrown herself into her car and drove until she'd used up half the tank. But she was married now, to a man who had serious issues with the passenger in her car, and so it was necessary to traipse up the stairs and find Joey.

Apparently, societal expectations demanded that of married couples.

He'd been pacing up and down the floor of their bedroom, muttering nonsensical nothings under his breath. She opened the door gently, and poked her head in to inform him that she was leaving and taken Valon with her.

"What? Where? You guys are leaving?" His eyes flashed upon her and his strides were ungainly with his still simmering anger. He proceeded to unleash a barrel of explanations why she couldn't go, why his so-called "instinctual gut feeling" told him that Valon had a secret plan to use old powers and maul her on the way to the store, leaving her to be roadkill.

"Where are you guys even going?" demanded Joey. Mai stepped into the room and shut the door firmly behind her, crossing her arms.

"You need to stop acting like a child," she snapped. "He's a guest in our house, and he can hear absolutely everything you're saying."

"Mai," complained Joey. "He's a known criminal and—"

"Joey, if he's a known criminal, then I should already be behind bars, don't you think?"

Her husband threw her hands up in the air. "Really? Are you going to defend him? You know what he's capable of—"

"What he _was_ capable of," insisted Mai. "Times have changed, okay? And we'll talk about this later. I don't want to face you like this right now."

"Mai," said Joey, and she knew he hadn't heard a single word she said. "I don't trust him. I _really_ don't trust him. He might—"

"Nothing is going to happen," she said angrily, already halfway out the door. This wasn't a conversation she was willing to get into at the moment. "Good-bye, Joey. We'll talk later when I get back—"

"Mai." Joey grabbed a hold of her arm before she could leave. She whirled to face him, half ready to slap the living daylights out of him for manhandling her, but when she caught the sudden upset glance of his eyes, she relented.

"Just…okay," Joey fumbled over his words, and then let go of her. "This is hard for me, all right? I just need some time. Can you please not go out tonight?"

This was the thing about being married, Mai had learned. Sometimes, it was just better not to ask for reasons. Sometimes, it was just better to listen.

And when she looked into Joey's sad, sad eyes, one little piece of her heart started to give way.

"Okay," she said with a sigh. "Fine. I won't go out."

His face relaxed. "Thanks, Mai," he said. She had already turned to the door, loosening the bun so that her hair fell into her face, obscuring her expression. He didn't need to see her irritation-he could know it by the way she slammed the door shut.

"We're not going," announced Mai when she walked down the stairs to the foyer. Valon was waiting in front of the door. He'd already thrown on his trademark red biker jacket, one that Mai couldn't believe he still owned. Hers was in her closet...somewhere. It was a little hard to fit into her life now.

"What?" asked Valon, his eyes widening. "Are you serious? Why not?"

_Because Joey doesn't want me to_ sounded weak and prissy, even to her own ears, so Mai sighed. "It's just not a good time. Maybe tomorrow."

Valon's shoulders slumped, and he sighed, ruffling a heavy hand through his brown hair as he turned halfway to the door, probably imagining what was beyond it.

"Look," said Mai, feeling guilty. He had clearly wanted this as much as she did. "I'll make it up to you. Let me get you a drink."

"You still do that?" asked Valon, and there was a sting in his words that she hadn't heard before. She had half a mind to be insulted, but with all that happened today, maybe this was one thing she could let pass.

Her own patience today was astounding even her.

"Yeah," said Mai evenly, as she headed into the kitchen, Valon trailing behind her. "There's still some remnants of the good ol' days in this body."

"So what have we got?" asked Valon as he threw himself into the stool at the island counter, his hands clasped together like a diligent schoolchild. "Some super classy white wine from California? Or do you keep a stash of French stuff from your cruise ship days?"

She ignored his remarks and turned to open the fridge, surveying its contents for the two bottles on the shelf. "How about this?" she said, reaching for the two and turning around to show him.

His mouth dropped open. That smug satisfaction she got from seeing his shock was more than enough compensation for her godly perseverance today.

"Seriously?" asked Valon, after Mai had uncorked the bottle and slid it to him. His hand curled around the neck of the bottle so that he could glance at the label. "You still have this stuff? Man, we used to drink this all the time, back when Dartz—"

"Yeah, I know," said Mai, cutting him off. She didn't need to be reminded of her earlier duplicity with Serenity.

"Wow," laughed Valon as he took a swig. "I haven't had this in ages. It's just as good as I remember."

"Glad to hear it." Mai took some for herself, savoring the chill in her mouth. She waited for the alcohol to kick in and relax her nerves, and when it did, she sighed, content. She'd always preferred this over the classy stuff.

"Seriously," said Valon, still stuck on the fact that he was drinking the same beer he'd had almost every night in another lifetime. "Serenity told me about their dad's drinking problem. How does Joey even condone this in the house?"

She shrugged. "I buy it by the bottle," she explained. "More expensive but…it keeps him off my back. He might be sober, but I still need it…once in a while, anyway. We don't drink it often."

He raised one eyebrow. "You mean _you_ don't drink often."

She raised the bottle to her lips to delay answering. "Something like that."

They way he looked at her, something like a mix of shock and apprehension, unnerved her. Even through the slight haze of her drink, Mai was unnerved.

"What?" she snapped, defensive. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

There was a slight grin at the corner of his lips as he turned his head, taking a drink from the bottle. "Nothing, nothing," he said, waving a careless hand.

"No," insisted Mai. "You were going to say something. And you're going to tell me what it is."

"I was just going to comment," said Valon, slowly, carefully, his eyes never leaving her face, "that…it's funny how we're different now."

"_We_?" she challenged. "Or just me?"

"Uh…which one will seem less insulting?"

Mai's eyes flashed. "I hope you like the cold, Mr. Bentley, because that's where you're going to be spending your nights for these next two weeks."

"_What?_ Mai!" exclaimed Valon. "Jeez, you think you're the only one who's changed? I'm not the same person either!"

_The girl you're dating is great proof of that_ was what Mai wanted to lash out, but she kept her lips pressed together.

"Okay, okay, I'll make it up to you," continued Valon. "Watch me. Just watch me for the next two weeks, and then talk to me about your findings. Fair?"

It was Mai's turn to raise an eyebrow. "What, am I playing psychologist or something? You're not that difficult to understand, Valon."

"Hey!" he said, a hurt look on his face. "I thought you'd enjoy this!"

Mai laughed, the sound loud even to her own ears. "Are you kidding me? There are things I don't need to accomplish in life, and that's most definitely one of them."

"Come on," said Valon. "Give it a try."

He was so confident, so self-assured that Mai bit the inner part of her cheek and considered the situation for a moment.

"Is this going to be one of those things where there's a right and wrong answer?"

"Maybe."

She shook her head, taking another drink. "Then I'm not playing."

"Oh, come on. It'll be fun."

Mai twirled one strand of hair around her finger, thoughtful. "What's the prize?"

"What's this about prizes?"

Mai and Valon both glanced towards the other door that led to the dining room, where Serenity had just pushed her way through. Mai saw that she seemed to have already gotten ready for bed in a white tank and purple and white plaid pajamas. Her long hair had been twisted into a braided bun.

"We're seeing how far each of us is willing to go for something," said Valon, who Mai realized was still sober enough to know that their conversation wasn't exactly good fodder for his current girlfriend to hear.

"Yeah? Like the Klondike bar commercials?" asked Serenity, striding forward. She ran her slim fingers through Valon's hair as she stood beside him, pressing her lips to his cheek.

Mai took a gulp of beer. Man, this stuff was getting really weak or her tolerance had just gone off the chart.

"Yes! Exactly." Valon turned to Mai with his beer bottle raised in challenge. "Give me a suitable answer, and I will give you a Klondike Bar."

"Of all the things to do for a Klondike bar, I think that would make me the most ashamed."

Serenity looked like she wanted to laugh, but without knowing the context, she couldn't. She'd come too late into the conversation to keep up. "Is what you're telling her to do really that bad?" she asked, glancing down at Valon, who was still grinning at Mai.

"No," said Mai, setting down her bottle. "Can I help you, Serenity? Did you need something?"

"Oh, no," said Serenity, shaking her head quickly. "I just wanted...to see what was going on. I heard laughter...so I came down." She glanced down at her boyfriend, rather hopefully, Mai noticed. Valon finally gave her his attention with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm okay now." Just briefly, his eyes met Mai's, whose fingers itched for the bottle. But since she didn't really want to drink in front of Serenity, she drew her hands behind her, clasping them against the edge of the counter.

"Well, actually Mai, I did have something." Serenity's hands twisted together nervously. "You know what Joey saying...about Valon sleeping out in the yard...was it true?"

"Depends," said Mai, focusing her gaze back on Valon. "Didn't you say you like the outdoors?"

He scowled. "Yeah, I do. But I saw your backyard, and it doesn't even qualify as a yard. It's practically sticks of wood. I'll be sleeping on splinters tonight."

"It's under construction," she said, defensive.

"Well yeah, exactly. So there's no reason for me to even be out there." Valon clasped his hands in supplication. "Please Mai, if there's even a single bone of kindness in your body—"

She rolled her eyes. "Stop groveling, you little wimp. Joey and I already prepared the guest bedroom for you and Serenity. But I'm warning both of you—" she raised a finger at eye-level to both of them "—no screwing around. Literally. The walls are thin, and I'm not going to put up with that in my house."

Serenity's cheeks flamed redder than a firetruck. Valon let out a voracious laugh.

"Good one," he said, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. "I'll keep that in mind while I sleep like a baby tonight. My girlfriend's sister-in-law thinks I'm a satyromaniac."

"Valon!" she whacked him on the shoulder, and then turned to her sister-in-law in disgust. "Mai! Really? Was that necessary?"

"Not for you," said Mai, keeping her eyes on the little rascal. "But boys need a reminder sometimes."

"Point taken," said Valon, downing the rest of his beer and setting the bottle back on the countertop. "Well, in that case, I better head off to shower and bed. Thanks for the drink, Mai. I'll see you in the morning."

"Mmhmm," said Mai, crossing her arms. Valon gave Serenity a quick kiss on the lips before heading out through the dining room entrance, leaving Mai alone with a very embarrassed sister-in-law.

"Really, Mai?" asked Serenity, her voice dangerously close to a whine. "Was that _seriously_ necessary?"

"Serenity," said Mai. "It's all fun and games."

The girl cradled her face in her hands. "You are so embarrassing sometimes!"

"Please," said Mai, as she collected Valon's empty bottle and stashed it in the recycling beneath the sink. "You guys live together. If Joey and I were more conservative, you guys wouldn't even be sleeping on the same floor."

Her eyes widened. "You mean he'd really—"

"No, silly," said Mai with a shake of her head. "He'd take the couch downstairs."

"Oh." Serenity deflated.

"And besides," said Mai, stepping to the island counter so that she and Serenity were closer. "We needed a little laughter. After all that we've been through today, it's important to end on a good note."

"Yeah," she agreed. "I guess so." The smile on Serenity's face was back as she crossed over and gave Mai a hug. "Well, I'm off to bed then. See you in the morning?"

"Sleep as late as you want," said Mai as earnestly as she could. "We really don't have anything planned tomorrow."

"Awesome," said Serenity. "See you in the morning."

And then she was through the door, and Mai was alone in her kitchen.

Well, she wasn't technically alone. She still had that half-full bottle that was calling her name incessantly.

She drank a little bit, taking sips while her ears strained for any sound of movement. In the absolute silence of her kitchen, she could hear the faint sound of water running from one of the bathrooms, but that was all. She downed the rest of her drink and then made her way up the stairs slowly, sure that she would run into no one on her way into her bedroom. When she pushed open the door, Joey was just coming out of the shower.

"Hey Mai," said Joey, coming towards her with only a towel wrapped low on his hips. Her husband gave her a hug, one that she stiffened at initially, but she could sense something in his more calm attitude that made her soften. "I'm sorry."

"Just this once," said Mai as they drew apart, "I'm not going to ask you to elaborate."

He gave a small chuckle. "Is there a reason why?"

"Yup," she said, taking off her coat to throw it into the dresser. "Because you'll show tomorrow whether or not you meant it."

She thought he would whine, like his sister, but he was surprisingly calm. "Okay," he said. "That's fair."

"I know I am," said Mai over her shoulder as she closed the door behind her.

She placed her hands onto the sink and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

What the _hell_ was wrong with her?

What was she thinking, asking that boy to share drinks with her? She hadn't meant for it to be such a conversation, hadn't thought that bantering with him would be as easy as breathing. But it was so, _so _long since she'd had someone who matched with her when it came to wits. Joey tried, but their conversations were more playful when they needed to be, and serious when they had to be.

She tried to keep her mind clear as she turned on the water, stripped off her clothes and stepped in. If only the scalding water would melt away her thoughts too, but she doubted that was going to happen. Going through the rest of her routine didn't help one bit, and so, when she finally climbed into bed beside Joey, she wasn't sure at all of where she stood.

"Mai," whispered Joey, one hand snaking around her waist. "I'll be better tomorrow."

"I hope you're keeping that promise." She closed her eyes, still keeping her back to him.

"Mmhmm." It was muffled into the pillow, but she heard it. She flipped to the other side, resting her forehead on his chest.

"Okay. That's good enough for me. Good night, Joey."

"Good night, Mai. I love you."

She had already fallen asleep before she could respond.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So...super funny thing about this chapter. Every time I tried to write it, I'd get stuck at this one part. It's why I had to put this story down for so long, but as you can see, it's been overcome! As for the next chapter, it's coming. Slowly. This particular story really isn't a priority for me even though I know the general direction just because...I only want to work on this story when I know I can write my very best. It's seriously close to my heart because of the challenge of storytelling it the right way, so I'm taking it easy.

Also: I'm looking for a beta! Really random and out of the blue, but if interested, please PM me! :)

Annndd...I try not to get personal, (and this is already a really long A/N), but it's my last day as a freshman in college so I wanted to get it out. I'm moving out in the morning and I'm _really_ sad...gawd, I don't know what I'm going to do without my floormates... :'(

**Thanks very much for reading this chapter! I sincerely appreciate it :) Please leave a review on your way out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!**  
**

* * *

_**Because Things Change**__**  
**_

**Chapter Four**

* * *

After nearly thirteen hours of travel, what Valon really needed was a shower. He decided that he'd be a bad guest for one night, and then start shaping up tomorrow.

_Besides_, he thought to himself as he steeped his body beneath the scalding hot water. _Joey's already out for my blood. I can't possibly get any better in his books. Not tonight anyway_.

He stayed in that shower for a good forty-five minutes, letting the searing water burn his muscles into relaxation. When he stepped out, his skin was a blistering red and his fingers like shriveled prunes. Every surface of the bathroom was covered in a layer of steamy, moist mist. He toweled himself off slowly, and then proceeded to take his time brushing his teeth and combing out the knots in his hair with his fingers.

By the time he staggered into bed beside his already sleeping fiancée, Valon was sure he had assembled all the pieces he needed for a good night's sleep.

Except one thing: he was having a _really _hard time falling asleep.

It wasn't even that the bed was too small or the mattress too soft, even though both were minor issues. Serenity had often teased him about being a tossing around kind of sleeper, but in their spacious queen-sized bed back home in Australia, it wasn't that much of a problem.

But here, in this teeny bed, Valon was forced to stay flat on his bed, feeling rather like a corpse. He prayed he wouldn't accidentally kick Serenity, or topple out of bed..._if _he finally fell asleep.

Nope, it wasn't even that, even though it occupied his mind for a few moments.

It was the conversation with Mai that he kept replaying in his hand. Their banter wasn't particularly witty, but their words were sharp and had been exchanged quickly. If they had been fencers, they would have been solid only technically. Being duelists had honed the clever, and sometimes tawdry, bits.

But he couldn't remember the exact words that were exchanged—those would have been ridiculously hard to remember. It was the little nuances. One of her cheeky smiles here and there, the strands of her golden hair falling into her eyes…and the way that he had felt.

Light. Relaxed. All things he normally felt with Serenity but…more intensified, somehow.

And he wondered if it was a bad thing. He wondered if it was just the time of night, if it was jetlag…and then back full circle, when he wondered if he was making excuses.

He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to do some of the breathing exercises from the yoga class that Serenity had forced him to take. None of that helped.

He didn't know when he drifted off to sleep. Maybe it was the exhaustion that finally pulled his body under, but some part of him remained awake, so that all night, he kept weaving in and out of consciousness. By the time eight o'clock rolled around the next morning, all that had happened was that he'd kicked off all the covers in an attempt to cool off.

There was a sudden shift of weight on the other side of the bed when Serenity slowly sat up. He closed his eyes again, and very gently, turned onto his side, pretending to still be asleep. She padded around the bed quietly, rummaging through her unpacked bag for what she needed, and then slipped out of the room.

Finally free, Valon stretched his limbs out over the whole bed.

_Now_, he thought to himself drowsily, _I can_ _try to sleep._

* * *

Joey woke up early the next morning, all intents and purposes dedicated towards proving to Mai that he could at least be adult-like.

Keyword: adult-_like_. She'd know in a nanosecond he was just putting on an act, but to an untrained eye, it would look good.

So, in order to be adult-_like_, Joey Wheeler needed to get up early. And he did, but he was never the quiet type. On the way to the master bathroom alone, he stubbed his foot three times, cracked his knee twice, and then accidentally slammed the bathroom door a little too loudly.

He was _pretty _sure that he woke Mai up—she had always been a light sleeper—but she barely stirred.

When he finished brushing his teeth and scrubbing his face, Joey threw on a sweatshirt and managed to sneak out of the room without creating more noise pollution. He shut the door as gently as he could behind him, and then shuffled down the stairs to the kitchen.

This had always been Mai's territory, even though she'd converted the third bedroom upstairs into her own personal office. Joey assumed that it was because she liked to work at the island counter beneath the skylight, and found peace in the leafy trees outside the huge window over the sink.

He didn't get to sit in here as much as Mai did—whatever room the television was in automatically became his—but he still appreciated it.

_So_, thought Joey as he opened one side of his stainless steel refrigerator. _What's for breakfast? Omelets? French toast? Uhm...hotcakes?_

His eye fell onto the batch of fresh strawberries, a carton of unopened ricotta cheese, and milk, and then his mind was made up for him. He snatched up the ingredients and set them onto the counter.

"Hotcakes?" came a sleepy but excited voice from the door. Joey glanced up, a grin spreading over his voice.

"Yeah," he said, holding out an arm to his baby sister. Serenity toddled over to him, and let herself be swaddled into a sidehug. "Like the kind Mom used to make."

"Yum," said Serenity, glancing at the ingredients already on the counter. "Mom always did like to pretend she was classy. You forgot the eggs."

"Would you get them for me?" asked Joey, retrieving the flour, salt, and baking powder from the cabinet to the left of the stove.

"Okay," she said, pulling out two eggs from the fridge, and setting them carefully beside his milk. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt, and turned to move towards the island counter, where she hopped onto a stool.

"What, you're not going to help me?" he asked, as he retrieved a couple of bowls, a whisk, and measuring cups.

"Nope," she said stoutly. Joey glared at her.

"Is this because of last night?"

She rolled her eyes, then leaned her elbow onto the counter and rested her chin on her palm. "You think?"

"Okay, you know what, in my defense, you took us all by surprise. You can't just pop in on us with information like that and expect us to be okay with it," he said, turning his back to her so that he could begin to measure out the dry ingredients.

"Us?" asked Serenity. "If I remember correctly, Mai wasn't going crazy about Valon. Besides, don't you think last night's Spanish Inquisition was a little bit, oh I don't know, _too much_?"

"I'm your _big brother_," he reminded her. She could just hear the scowl in his voice. "Ren, you don't know him like I do."

"Like you _did_," she corrected him. "I know pretty much everything about him. He tells me things. And the way that he acts speaks even louder. He's not a _bad_ guy, Joey, I swear."

"Serenity, you know nothing about this guy," said Joey emphatically, scooping out the ricotta cheese into another bowl. "What did he tell you about Dartz?"

"He..." Serenity let the sentence drift as she searched her memory. Valon's old gang days, as she called it, had always been a tough subject between them. He rarely liked to tell her anything. Sometimes, when she pressed enough, he'd give her indefinite things, like saying that he'd done a bit of dueling, a bit of recruiting, a bit of bodyguarding...but never names, never anything more specific. When she asked for more, he'd clam up.

Last night had been the first time she'd ever heard of Dartz. No one had explained anything, but she could guess that this person had _something_ to do with her boyfriend's darker past.

Okay, so she had lied to her brother. She didn't know everything about Valon, even though he knew everything about her.

But she wasn't going to let him know that.

"Everything," she said, as confidently as she could. She almost believed her own words.

"Everything?" asked her brother, turning around to eye her suspiciously.

"_Everything_," she heard herself repeat the word. She made herself stare right back into his eyes, and when Joey shrugged, turning back to his pancake batter.

"Okay," said Joey. "If that's what you say, then fine. I won't say anymore. Clearly, I'm not part of this relationship, and I can't keep you away from dickhea—dudes."

_Nice save_, thought Serenity, though she was beginning to wonder if the former was more appropriate. Joey cracked the eggs and then moved to toss the shells into the trash.

"Ren?" he asked suddenly, glancing at something. "Were you drinking last night?"

"What? No," she said indignantly. "You know I don't drink. That was Mai and Valon."

"Huh?" Joey whirled around on her, shock widening his eyes. "They had drinks together? Are you sure?"

"Well, considering the fact that I walked in on them..." _And the fact that he kissed me after drinking...he's **never **done that_ before. Serenity still remembered the acrid smell and taste on him before he went upstairs to shower. He had always been so considerate around her before...she couldn't fathom what made him forget about her obvious disdain for alcohol.

There was something troubled in Joey's stance as stepped away from the trash and recycling, but when he turned back to his pancakes, it was gone.

"Could you help me mix, _please_?" asked Joey, as if they hadn't just been talking about Valon. Knowing that this was her brother's attempt to patch up the tension between them, Serenity obligingly got off her stool and went to his side, picking up the whisk so that all the different components could be combined.

"Okay. Now what?"

He laughed. "Get the griddle, and stick it on the stove. You know what to do after that."

She couldn't help but smile as she did. This was becoming all too familiar. They'd done this as kids, here and there, before everything went downhill. She remembered her mother showing them how she made these two "special pancakes", and then guiding the two of them through the steps. When she thought that they were ready, she set Serenity on mixing, and Joey on flipping, because he was older. Serenity had whined about that so much that their mother had allowed her to cook down some strawberries to go with it.

"So you're doing the fruit instead?" asked Serenity as set the griddle over the stove and flipped on the heat.

"I thought you might appreciate being treated as a grown-up," said Joey as he sliced up the strawberries. Serenity smiled, glancing back at the dark griddle.

It was nice, she had to admit, going back to the way they were when they were kids, even though their roles were flipped. They didn't have the best of childhoods, but at least they had each other.

She placed a hand above the griddle to test its heat. It was hot enough, so she started dolloping out the pancakes. She assumed that Mai, like her, would prefer little two-inch pancakes, but that Valon, like her brother, wanted a huge one. So, to make sure that both groups were satisfied, one huge pancake and three little ones took up the entire griddle.

"Serenity, I wanted to ask you something," said Joey suddenly. "And I swear, this time, it has nothing to do with Valon."

"Yeah, okay," said Serenity, nervous. "What is it?"

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

That question took her aback. "Uh…I don't really know…why?"

Joey gave a sheepish grin. "Too busy to spend a day with your big bro?"

Serenity gave her brother a fond smile, and a hug. "Never," she said, hurrying back to her pancakes so that could flip them. "Absolutely never."

"Good," said Joey. "It'll be a surprise, where we go. I think you'll like it."

"Okay," she said, glancing down at her pancakes, happiness bubbling in her heart.

By the time Mai and Valon stumbled into the kitchen, both identically bleary-eyed, most of the pancakes had been finished and were warming in the oven. Joey, finished cooking down the strawberries, sat at the island counter, flipping through a magazine. When Mai came in, he got up to give her a hug.

Serenity noted how her sister-in-law seemed to stumble into it, and barely returned the embrace.

"Morning," said Valon, dropping a kiss onto her cheek. She jerked a little, surprised to find him so close. His breath was, mercifully, reeking of mint toothpaste and not beer. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," she said, putting her free arm around his waist. "You too?"

"Mmhmm…" He glanced at the griddle, tilting his head to a side. "You guys made pancakes?"

"What, did you want something else?" challenged Joey. Serenity turned around to glare at him. Just out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mai do the same thing.

"No, no," said Valon, still careless. "I love pancakes. Tell him, Ren. Tell him how much I love this stuff."

"You call her _Re—_"

Mai placed a hand over Joey's arm as if to restrain him, and he shut his mouth.

"I'll make coffee," she said, hopping off her stool. She strode over to one of the cabinets above the counter and pulled out three white mugs. "I picked up this really strong Turkish one a couple days ago, and it's basically all I can drink now. You guys okay with that?"

"That'll be fine," said Serenity, glancing at Valon, who shrugged. Being on the frugal budget that they were, all they bought were the cheapest coffee they could find. Sometimes, if it was a special occasion—if Valon got a huge commission or if she passed a particularly nasty midterm—they'd celebrate by buying a bag of the most expensive they could find.

Most people celebrated with champagne. Since Serenity didn't drink, coffee was their celebratory beverage of choice.

But that had been a while. Serenity hadn't had a good cup of coffee since her finals ended, and Valon hadn't gotten a particularly difficult job in weeks.

So while Mai set up her coffee, Serenity concentrated instead on the rest of her pancakes. Now that Valon was in the room, all she could think about was _him_, all the secrets he hadn't told her, all the questions she wanted to ask him...but she couldn't do it here, when Joey and Mai were listening.

She'd just have to wait.

When all the pancakes on the griddle were finished, Serenity opened the oven and retrieved the baking dish that held all the other ones. She set those onto the stove and uncovered the foil.

"Get some plates and forks," she told Valon, "and then we can all eat."

"You sit down," cut in Joey's voice suddenly, devoid of…enmity, Serenity guessed, but there was still something rather commanding in his voice. "I'll get it."

Usually, Valon would have deferred to Serenity, but seeing that strange maniacal glint in Joey's eyes made him back off. He held his hands up as he backed towards the island.

"Sure thing," he said, taking a seat.

"I guess we'll all eat in here then," said Mai, turning her back onto her coffee to survey the rest of them. "If you don't mind. It just seems easier."

It went unsaid that what she really wanted was to avoid a repeat of last night, and Serenity couldn't agree more.

The Wheeler siblings took care of passing out breakfast. Serenity piled some pancakes on, while Joey spooned fresh strawberry syrup onto the plates.

"Here," said Joey. Valon glanced down at his plate.

They were rather large pancakes, but because Serenity had made them, he was pretty sure they weren't raw on the inside. But Joey—being Joey—had taken it upon himself to dump a mountain of cooked down strawberries onto the plate so that at least three-fourths of the stack was drowning in a sticky red syrup. He glanced up, ready to open his mouth to quip something clever, but Mai caught his eye.

"Aw, that means he likes you," she said, her voice cloyingly sweet as she reached for the drawer behind her and handed him a fork.

"My heart," he said, placing a palm over chest, "it feels like it's about to burst with joy."

"Yeah, yeah, go burst into your little confetti sparkles," muttered Joey, dumping the same amount of syrup—that of the maple kind—over his own pancakes. Both the girls put a more reasonable amount of strawberry syrup over theirs, and Mai retrieved a couple cartons of blueberries as well.

"Eat up," she said. "I need to get rid of them."

"Thanks," said Serenity, reaching in for a few bits of the blue fruit. They all ate in silence for a little bit, Mai munching thoughtfully on her pancakes.

Valon, at first, took a small bite of his. Even drenched in strawberry syrup, he had to admit that they were pretty good. Serenity was taking bigger bites than usual, and Joey was already working on his third pancake.

Mai, being a dainty, sparse eater, finished before the rest of them. She set her plate and fork into the sink, and then strode over to Joey to give him a perfunctory kiss.

Valon averted his eyes.

"Thanks for breakfast," he heard her say. She said something to Serenity, who laughed, and then she left the kitchen, without even a word to him.

"She's in a good mood," noted Serenity, when Mai was surely walking up the stairs.

"She always is." Joey defended his wife, wolfing down another pancake. "When she's gotten enough sleep that is."

Valon didn't doubt that. The alcohol from last night, which had hindered his sleep, had probably helped her sleep.

"Well, take your time eating, guys," said Joey, who Valon noticed, still didn't meet his eyes. But at least he'd been acknowledged...sort of.

Then he left the kitchen too, leaving Serenity and Valon alone.

In that bright, airy kitchen, without a tense silence, it was tranquil. Valon cut another bit of the pancake with the side of his fork, and stuck it into his mouth.

"It's really good," he told Serenity. Her smile was half-hearted.

"Thanks," she said. "Our mother used to like to make it. For pretty much anything else, she had no idea what to do with Italian cheese."

"How'd she get the recipe?"

"Watched TV," said Serenity with a shrug. "Like how she got everything else."

Valon wasn't quite sure what to say to that. More silence, this one not as comfortable as the one before. He wolfed down another pancake.

"You looked like you had a hard time sleeping last night," said Serenity, her voice effervescently cool. "Drinking didn't help?"

"I didn't have a lot," said Valon, trying not to sound flippant. He focused on the last pancake on his plate.

"I know," she said quietly. "But you…looked really happy."

_I don't know about happy_, thought Valon, _but it certainly was nice_.

Valon cleared his throat. "I gotta change, Serenity," he said, getting up from his stool. He set the plate and fork into the sink. "See you upstairs?"

* * *

"So Mai? How was I this morning?"

Mai paused from applying her eyeliner to raise one eyebrow. "What, you want a grade now?" she asked warily, glancing at Joey through the bathroom mirror, who was leaning against the doorway.

Something in his smile was cheeky. "I just want to know if you were satisfied."

"So, _so_ much," said Mai, as deadpan as she could. She set her brush aside and capping her gel liner. "Breakfast was delicious too."

"Extra points?"

"This teacher doesn't give extra credit points," said Mai, reaching for her eyelash curler. "But she is very, very happy that you at least tried."

Joey pouted. "Seriously, that's all you're going to give me?"

"For now," said Mai, as she applied her mascara and then took a step back from the mirror to evaluate herself. When she was satisfied, she screwed the cap back on, and set her whole cosmetic purse behind the glass mirror.

"End of the day, then? You give me a grade?" asked Joey as Mai pushed past him to their bedroom.

Why did this sound so familiar?

_Oh right, _thought Mai, as she wound a scarf around her neck. _Because the other guy in the house asked me to evaluate him too. _

_Goddamnit, this **needs** to stop. _

"Hey Joey?" asked Mai, as she stopped by her vanity, sifting through her jewelry box for bracelets. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, shoot."

"Do you trust Valon with a car?"

"Mai…the guy's a mechanic. So…yeah, I guess so, if I were any old hick and not someone who knows who he really is?"

She sighed. "Maybe I should phrase that better. Do you trust Valon with _my _car?"

* * *

**Author's Note: **I was really anxious to get this out for you guys, so if there are mistakes here and there, please forgive! I've just been really excited to share this story :) If you're wondering, the recipe that Joey and Serenity used is Nigella Lawson's Ricotta Hotcakes. I haven't tried it yet, but they look delicious, and I love the idea of these two in the kitchen working on it together.

So, some news: I've planned out and began to draft out the rest of the story. As of right now, there are nine chapters, with the tenth being a sort of epilogue to tie it all together. This means that yes, I do know what the final pairings are going to be, but they're still tentative, and seriously, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Who knows, you might be the one to change my mind :P

**Thanks again for reading! Please leave me a review on your way out! They do help the story come along _ a lot_ faster, so if you want more...  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

* * *

_**Because Things Change**__**  
**_

**Chapter Five**

* * *

"Wow!" giggled Serenity as she rolled down the window of the car and let the wind blow through her red hair. She leaned her face out the window, watching the buildings fly by through her dark sunglasses. "Mai actually bought this car? And she trusted you with it?"

"It would seem so," said Valon, resting one hand against the window. His other hand was lazily guiding the steering wheel of Mai's two-door, dark blue Mini-Cooper along the boulevard of city streets that led to the beaches of Domino City. "Cool, huh?"

"Yeah," she exclaimed with a laugh, as she sat back in her seat and glanced at Valon. "What did she say to you?"

Valon couldn't help the small grin at the corner of his lips when he remembered the conversation.

_#Flashback, Earlier That Morning#_

"Hey. You're still here?" asked Mai when she entered the kitchen. She had changed from her sleeping clothes into dark wash jeans, a royal purple blazer edged in black, and a lacy white blouse that was all too reminiscent of the old bustier she had so loved.

Well, it was good to see that at least this part of who she really was remained. Without it, he might not have even recognized who she was at all.

"Yeah," he answered. "Quiet. It's nice in this kitchen."

Mai softened into a smile. The collection of gold bracelets on her wrist jangled together as she gathered her long hair together "Yeah, I know," she said, almost quiet. "It's why I'm always in here. Anyway, follow me for a sec? I've got something to show you."

Intrigued, he hopped off the stool and followed Mai through the maze of the house to the back door that led to the garage. She flipped on the lights, and Valon blinked for a moment.

"Wow," was the first thing that came to his lips. "Nice. Which one is yours?"

"The Mini."

"Huh," he said. "Finally traded in that convertible, did you?"

At his side, she bristled. "It was about time," she said. "What, you don't like my car?"

"No, no, it's fine," he said, a little too hastily, but the damage was already done. He braced himself for the onslaught.

Mai placed a hand on her hip. "You hate my car," she stated, no question mark at the end of that.

Valon shrugged. He'd just never imagined that Mai would be behind the wheel of one. "Well…I just thought you'd hold onto the convertible a little bit longer…I mean, it was a piece of shit but—"

"Wow! You're unbelievable, aren't you?" exclaimed Mai, rubbing her temples. "First, you date the sister of your mortal enemy, then you come into his house and annoy the hell out of him, and _now_, you're going to diss my car?" She shook her head. "And here I was, about to lend it to you so that you and Serenity could have day out—"

"Wait, _what?"_ asked Valon suddenly, his eyes wide. "You were going to let me drive _this_?"

"Yeah," she said. "Until you decided to trash it, that is. I guess now you're left having Joey chauffer you around today, because I gotta work—"

"Aw, Mai," said Valon, giving her a cheeky grin. He got himself into this mess, and he'd just charm his way out of it. "You _do _have a soft spot. You've just reaffirmed my hope in the world."

She rolled her eyes. "Stop that, it doesn't suit you at all. Have you still got your license for this country?"

Valon raised a hand to ruffle the hair at the back of his head thoughtfully. "I've pretty much always renewed it. For old time's sake, not because I thought I'd actually drive again in this place. But seriously…I get the Mini?"

"Maybe, if you apologize…"

"Mai, you are the kindest, sweetest, most generous woman I've ever met. You're the reason why the sun comes up in the morning and gives the whole world light, the reason why birds sing arias—"

"My god, Valon, do you not have a shred of self-restraint?" She rolled her eyes, but he caught the flush of her cheeks. "What if Serenity heard that?"

Valon grinned, despite himself. "She's my moon and stars, and she knows it."

Mai's expressions froze for a second into something that Valon couldn't discern, but the moment he tried to study it more, it vanished.

"Right," she said briskly, with a shake of her head. "Anyway, here's the keys—" These, she fished out of her back pocket and tossed to him "—and just bring her back safely, okay? The car and the girl."

"Promise," said Valon, giving her a cadet salute. Mai heaved another exasperated sigh, and then walked away, no doubt mumbling curses under her breath.

Valon glanced down at the keys in his palm, his heart beating a little too quickly to be excitement.

_#End Flashback#_

Even now, all Valon could do was grin sheepishly. Sure, he'd gone just slightly overboard in his excitement over driving a car, period, but it was okay. Mai knew he was kidding.

_What they say isn't true_, he tried to tell himself firmly. _Behind some of the "just kiddings", they really are just kidding._

That same set of keys that Mai had tossed to him was jammed into the ignition beside the wheel. There was nothing special about them, no keychain or even a Harpie Lady keycover to identify these pieces of metal as hers. It wasn't as if she had personalized any of her belongings in the Doma days, but...well, Valon supposed it was just like Mai to leave things be. If she had to pick up and leave at any moment, she could do so without worrying about leaving traces of her behind.

_Old haibts die hard_, mused Valon as his eyes searched further down the boulevard. He switched arms on the wheel, allowing his right hand to rest beside his thigh.

"So, Valon," said Serenity, taking a chance to clasp her hand around his. "Where are we going on this fine, wonderful day?"

Valon glanced over briefly to give his girlfriend a smile. "I thought the pier would be nice," he said. "That sound good to you?"

She grinned, and settled back against the seat. "That sounds absolutely perfect."

* * *

Joey had caved in with allowing Valon to take the Mini after Mai explained her reasoning.

Both of them had work, even though Joey had been prepared to take a day off to take his sister and her boyfriend around. Joey, who was now Yuugi's partner in operating Grandpa Motou's old card shop in addition to dueling for competitions he was invited to, was needed for a few days of the week when tours and other groups liked to come in and experience the humble beginnings of the King of Games. And Mai had to show up to work to oversee a new deal being inked for the textile used in the manufacture of her clothing line.

That would leave Serenity (that was all she mentioned, because if she'd spoken Valon's name, it would have been sure to set her husband off) cooped up in the house because 1) Serenity had never been a good driver and 2) public transportation around their neighborhood was so spotty. Better to let Valon take a car so that they could entertain each other for most of the day.

With such flawless reasoning, even Joey had to relent.

Her secretary rapped at the door. "Miss Valentine," said the girl nervously, pushing up her tortoise shell glasses up her nose. "Ahm…you told me to remind you that your meeting is in an half an hour."

"Already?" asked Mai absentmindedly, glancing away from her computer screen. She'd been pretending to check over logistics of a new, larger store opening in downtown Domino for the past hour, but instead, she'd been daydreaming.

The girl nodded. "And I just got a set of papers in the fax. Apparently, the textile company is going to want to talk about their new eco-friendly label, and I thought you might like to look through it before the meeting."

"Possibly," said Mai thoughtfully, reaching a hand out. Her secretary rushed forward to drop the stack onto her desk. "That might be good for image."

"I thought so, Ms. Valentine."

Mai scanned the first page, but it was like she couldn't even understand the language at all. "Thanks, Verity. Come back in fifteen, so I'll know it's time to leave."

"Of course," said the girl, giving a quick bow on her way out. Mai smirked—maybe this was the best thing about being CEO of your own clothing label. A human alarm clock was such a plus.

But the moment the door closed behind Verity, Mai went straight back to her musing thoughts on cars…and her old convertible.

Man, it was crazy that Valon even remembered that.

The truth was that even when she first owned the car, she didn't have that much of an attachment to it. She'd bought it used, knowing that her competition money would run out sooner or later, and even when she met Valon, the car had been getting along in its years. Mai had felt obliged to let it go after the Doma fiasco, wanting to completely rid herself of that dark phase in her life. Not even Joey had batted an eyelash when she sold the car to some punk kid for way less than it was worth, who then crashed it to smithereens just six months later.

_I prefer that_, decided Mai. _Better that no one drive the car than some stupid, irresponsible kid. _

_Funny though_, she thought, as she pushed the chair away from her desk and got up to stretch her limbs. She turned so that she could stare out of the glass wall behind her chair, glancing down at the streets of Domino beneath her. _He mentioned the car…but not the bike. I didn't hold back anything when I bought that treasure…_

There was another crackle at the intercom. "Miss Valentine?" her secretary's mousy voice came through the silence. "They're ready for you."

"Thank you, Verity," said Mai, pressing the button to respond. Out of habit, Mai smoothed down her blouse. She snatched up the packet that Faye had brought in. "I'm coming right now."

* * *

Parking near the pier was always exceptionally hard, even in Mai's tiny little car. He and Serenity circled the neighborhood of beach houses so many times that he was beginning to grow sure that if a helicopter dropped him out of the sky, he'd be able to find his way to any specified street without any difficulty.

"There!" exclaimed Serenity, pointing ahead of him to a black sports car that was pulling out in front from the sidewalk. Valon gunned the pedal, and the Mini shot off like a bullet. It would have crashed, had Valon not possessed split-second reflexes and jammed his foot onto the pedal.

"Damn this car," he muttered. Mai would buy a Mini Cooper S, just for the extra bursts of speed. But it was jerky in a car this small. He could only imagine how much smoother accelerating would be in something like an SUV.

Or a motorcycle.

"Valon," chastised Serenity, swatting him on the shoulder playfully. "Swearing?"

"Wash my mouth with soap then," dared Valon with a smirk as he got out of the car.

"I actually remember a place with very nice, completely natural soaps around here," Serenity informed him stoutly. "Should we pay them a visit?"

"Anything that makes you happy," he replied, and she gave him another swat and giggle.

They grabbed lunch first at a place that Serenity had missed for three years, and then decided to shop around. Neither of them had an extensive amount of cash to spend, but Serenity liked to windowshop regardless. Valon trailed behind, his hands stuffed into his pockets. As much as he hated shopping with her, he had to admit that it was really cute to watch the bright red spot of his girlfriend's hair popping in and out of the racks of clothes like a gopher. So many things catching her eye at once was sure to set her off into a frenzy.

"Woah," said Valon, catching sight of one shop as they left a jewelry stall. He retraced his steps and paused, glancing up at the poster. "Serenity, I've got to go in."

"A duel card shop?" she questioned, chuckling. "Yeah, I guess you do. Well, I'll be across the street, okay?"

"Sounds good," he agreed, already turning to push open the doors. He half-expected there to be a "Hallelujah" chorus awaiting him, but there was none, only a bleary glance from the fat, middle-aged man reading a comic behind the register.

Valon glanced around him. Where to start?

Considering that he'd once had access to the most extensive card collection on all of Earth, he knew that any place he visited for the rest of his life would forever seem paltry and inadequate, no matter the selection. So he wandered for a little bit, picking up cards at random here and there to read their descriptions. In the end, he wound up back at the front of the store, where the weakest cards suited for beginner duelists were on display.

Valon picked one suited for an earth-type duelist and smirked. This was the kind of card they were creating now? He was beginning to be glad that he'd started building his deck years ago.

"Valon…is that you?" came an all too familiar deep voice. Valon stiffened, and then turned to face the sound.

"Raphael?" His voice held the same echo of shock. "Wow…what are you doing here?"

"I'm wondering the same thing about you," said the tall, blonde haired man that had once been his closest comrade. Valon studied the man, who hadn't changed much in the years they'd been apart. He still stood with the same, intimidating aura that had been a boon to him during the Doma days, and even wore a black trenchcoat…but this one was cut of a far more elegant material.

Valon couldn't help but smirk. "Haven't changed much, have you?"

"And you never stop dodging questions," quipped Raphael, raising an eyebrow as he held one hand out. But Valon did one better-he took it and embraced Raphael quickly. Valon's eyes widened when he realized that the firm layer of muscle all over Raphael's body hadn't dissipated one bit in three years.

_The man's blessed_, thought Valon, thinking back the Guardian cards. "Yup, you're the same," said Valon aloud. "So are you going to answer my question? What are you doing, coming back here?"

"I travel a lot now," admitted Raphael. "My inheritance…and my parents' investments…they let me see all the things I've always wanted to see."

"Couldn't stay away, could you?" asked Valon, stunned. "Of all places, you chose this city."

"Yeah, and I even had to bump into you," said Raphael with a shake of his head. "Fate's funny, isn't it?"

_A bit more like freaky_, thought Valon. He had done such a good job of keeping unpleasant memories from his mind, even running back home to Australia to escape them, but the moment he came back to Japan, he was faced with this.

"I...just had to see this place one last time," continued Raphael, glancing around sheepishly. "It's strange being back. I remember all the things we did...what happened, and it's hard to pretend that I wasn't a part of it."

Valon shook his head, stuffing one hand into his back pocket as he glanced at the floor. "That's part of the reason why I never wanted to come back."

"So why did you?"

Valon glanced up towards the glass window, where Serenity was just passing by. She held a shopping bag in one hand, and as she pushed open the door, a gentle breeze stirred the ends of her hair so that they rippled across her body. He felt a faint smile come to his lips.

"My fiancée," he said, the word so strange on his tongue. _Juxtaposition_ was the word that came to mind. He was using such a new word in the presence of man who belonged to a different time in his life.

"She's got you hook, line, and sinker if you came back here just for her," chortled Raphael in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere, rubbing his temples.

"My excuse is better than yours," said Valon with a raised eyebrow. He turned back towards Serenity, who seemed hesitant to disturb them, but when she was acknowledged, she approached cautiously.

"Hello," she said, a wary look crossing her face as she sized up Raphael. "Who's this, Valon?"

"An old friend," said Valon, trying to ignore the questioning glance from the other Swordsman.

"Oh," said Serenity, and if she noticed the intentional withholding of names, she didn't seem fazed. "I'm Serenity."

Raphael took the proferred hand. "Pleasure, Serenity. Well, Valon, it's been nice and all, but I've got to run. It's nice to see you again. I wish you all the best."

"Same, mate," agreed Valon, clasping his old comrade's hand. Raphael gave one last wave, and then was out of the door—and out of Valon's life—completely once more.

Valon took a breath.

"Hey," asked Serenity gently, touching his arm. "Are you all right?"

"Swell," said Valon, placing an smile on his face. "Come on, let's get out of here. I didn't find any cards that will strengthen my deck."

"As if you still duel," commented Serenity, but they dashed out of the store before the storeowner could glower at that comment.

Serenity slipped her hand into his as they strolled through the streets. It was growing closer to sunset now, and he let her lead him through the streets all the way to the boardwalk, where they listen to the waves and watch the sunbeams fire up the surface of the ocean.

Valon leaned his elbows across the wooden railing, relishing the feel of the wind against his face. Though his mind was still consumed with running into Raphael, just standing here and savoring the quiet was a peace that he thought he'd never find in this city. Too many bad memories, too many bad tastes that left his mouth sour when he reflected on them.

"Valon," said Serenity quietly, interrupting his thoughts. "Who was that man just now?"

He exhaled the quietest of sighs. He should have seen this coming. "Just…an old friend," he said, hoping she would stop questioning.

"What kind?"

He shrugged. "The kind that you always think is against you, but at the end of the day, has always got your back."

"Oh," said Serenity, like a child. "Did you…were you guys part of that gang together?"

_She can really piece two and two together, can't she? _thought Valon, still not meeting her eyes. _Or maybe she just loves to jump to conclusions. _

"Yeah," said Valon finally, thinking it best not to lie, especially since neither of them was going to see Raphael anytime soon. "But that was a long time ago."

There was silence for a minute as Valon waited for the next question. He just knew she was going to ask because of the way that her fingers twisted around each other nervously, and her eyes kept watching them fumble. He leaned his forehead down onto his fist, and took another breath to calm himself.

"Valon?"

"Mmhmm?"

"You'll always tell me the truth, right?"

_Now_, Valon thought, _that's a difficult question to answer_. He hadn't lied to her yet, but according to some zealists, he pretty much had. To those ingrates, evading questions and topics was akin to lying.

But didn't he at least get to keep some things to himself? He'd already offered up so much to her. She knew about his childhood, about his adolescence, about things that no one else knew. The period when the Orichalchos dominated his life…couldn't that be something kept only to himself?

Those were his secrets to keep, however awful, however life-changing. He would never take back his choices in making them—they defined him, after all—but he still didn't want to talk about it. He wasn't ashamed—he just preferred not to talk about.

But time would tell. Perhaps in the far distant future, when he could at least be more detached, maybe he would tell her the story of how a little boy got entangled into a multi-dimensional war.

Maybe.

Or, even easier, he didn't need to say anything at all. Maybe she'd just forget. As he glanced down at her, that was all he could hope for.

He pressed his lips to her forehead, and then hugged her.

So they stood there in silence, him holding her in his arms by the pier, until the glowing orb of the sun dropped beneath the horizon. The breeze almost instantly became cold, and chilled him to the bone.

"Come on," he said quietly. "Let's head back."

* * *

When they arrived home, it was already dark. Apparently, Joey was out, but Mai was in the living room, curled up on the couch, a hot drink on the table beside her and a book and blanket on her lap. She just barely glanced up at them on their way in.

"Good day?" she asked absentmindedly, flipping the page.

"Yeah," said Serenity, happily, Valon noticed. That was always a good sign. "It was really nice. I got some shirts."

"Nice," said Mai appreciatively.

Serenity smiled. "Yeah, I know. Well, I'm going to go up and shower. I feel so grimy. See you in a bit."

She gave Valon a brief kiss on the cheek, and then went up, leaving Valon alone with Mai. He made his way towards her and sat at the corner of the couch.

"So, good day?" repeated Mai, still glancing down at her book.

He paused for a moment. "Interesting," he admitted. "You wanna know something weird?"

"Shoot."

Valon took a deep breath. "I…bumped into Raphael."

That finally made Mai glance up. "Excuse me? What was he doing in Domino?"

"Yeah," said Valon, ruffling his hair again. "Did you know he was back here? I thought he went back to Paris."

"Yeah, me too," said Mai thoughtfully. "But I don' t know, I'm not immigration. I don't know all the people that come and go into this city."

Valon shook his head. "I never said that you were. But…it was weird, you know?"

"Yeah, you don't have to tell me," said Mai with a shake of her head, but she set her book down on the coffee table, obviously as unsettled as he was with this piece of information.

He wanted to say more. He wanted to explain to her what it was that really bothered him about Raphael's sudden appearance, but even he couldn't articulate the words. All three of them had been so desperate to leave the country and their bad memories behind, but now, three of them were within the boundaries of the same country.

"I think…he's still thinking about Doma too," said Valon quietly. "He never said so…but I could see something in his eyes."

Mai was suddenly very quiet. "You can't erase that part of our lives," she murmured. "We did _so_ much damage. We can only be thankful that more wasn't done."

"Do you think…we can heal from it?"

Something like a cynical smile appeared at the corner of her lips. "Well, you know what they say: only time will tell."

"What's your honest opinion?"

Mai's smile became sad and forlorn, her eyes holding mists of the past. "Come back to me in ten years, Valon, and then we'll talk."

"Sounds like a good plan," he agreed softly, glancing down at his clasped hands. There was a sudden weight in his heart, and he found he didn't want to talk about it anymore. This stuff…he could only talk about it with the people who had been beside him then, but even then, it was still hard to make the words come.

He changed the subject. "Your, uh…car drove really well today."

"Oh? Did it?" Mai had reached for her book agan opened it to the marked page

"Yeah," he said. "I can see why you exchanged the convertible for it now."

Mai gave a smirk. "I'm surprised you remembered the car and not the bike."

He laughed heartily. "_Please _tell me that you still have that."

"I spent three competitions' prize money on that baby," claimed Mai. "And I fixed it up myself. I'm not going to sell it _that _easily."

That had always impressed Valon. He remembered watching her play mechanic in the garage of Doma headquarters, on her back as she tuned up her bike. She had been so intensely focused then that even quips from Raphael and Alistar had melted away when they saw her work.

"Can I see it?" he asked.

"Ha!" Mai chortled. "No. It's in a cryogenic storage, faraway from human touch."

"C'mon, Mai—"

"No. I don't want anyone near it," she said, flipping another page. Valon doubted that she was actually reading the pages, no matter how hard she pretended. "Haven't you still got your bike?"

"Of course," said Valon emphatically. "I ride it every day. I could always upgrade it, but I like it too much."

The adamant look in Mai's eyes softened. "That was always a fantastically dependable bike," said Mai, still glancing down at her page. "Too bad mine ran circles around it."

"That's a lie," objected Valon. "You kidding me?"

Mai raised an eyebrow, finally glancing up. "You wanna race?"

"Sure," he agreed. "Just let me ship in my bike from Australia, and you got yourself a deal. We'll see who can stand the test of time."

Mai laughed, the sound so melodious to Valon's ears. It seemed she hadn't laughed so heartily like that in ages. "You're _so _on, Valon. You know I'm going to win."

And just like that, the mood was lifted. How easy could it be…one topic had weighed them down too much, and just by switching directions, they had gone from moping to laughing. Valon couldn't imagine doing this with Serenity, especially not earlier at the pier.

As they continued to talk about their bikes, they didn't even notice that Serenity had crept back down the stairs. She hadn't showered—originally, she had come down to ask Mai a question—but she overheard the laughter, and couldn't help but listen in on the conversation.

She wished she hadn't. Valon hadn't seemed very spirited at all today, but now that he and Mai were together, they seemed to be having a good time. She racked her brains about what she knew about Mai and Valon…and then came up short. She hadn't even known that they knew each other, but clearly, this conversation about bikes proved something else.

Serenity leaned back against the wall, more confused than ever. Her suspicions hadn't been confirmed, only doubled. She bit back a frustrated sigh.

Who in the world could she trust to tell her the truth now?

* * *

**Thanks very much for reading! Please leave a review on your way out :) I would very much love to hear your thoughts!**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

_Because Things Change_

Chapter Six

* * *

"Hey, what was that?" Valon asked, leaning forward in his chair. "Did you hear something?"

Mai gave him a funny glance as she rearranged the blanket over her lap. "What are you talking about?"

"Did you hear the stairs creak?" he asked. He got up from the couch and walked to the hall entry, looking up the stairs. They were empty. "Huh," he said as he sat back down in his spot. "I thought Serenity came down or something."

Mai arched her head towards the stairs, but saw nothing. "Is this some new skill you're trying to develop?" she asked. "Supersonic hearing?"

"Of course you would rag on me about it," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Serenity thinks I'm improving!"

"Of course she would encourage your antics," replied Mai dryly. "But I'm keeping it real, and I'm telling you that you're crazy."

Valon let out a laugh. "You're the insane one, Mai."

"Always have been a little bit," she said, a smile cracking through that famously strong veneer. "The two of you," she began slowly, for once unsure of what to say. There was so much she was just dying to know about their relationship, so much that she was definitely _not_ entitled to...but she could still needle information out of him anyway, right? Without tipping him about how deep her curiosity truly ran?

He gave her a kind of funny look. "What about us?"

"Entertain me for a little bit," said Mai with a conspiratorial smirk. "How did you guys meet?"

"On a rainy day beneath a bus stop awning," said Valon, his voice taking on a dreamy quality. He clasped his hands together and rolled his eyes up the ceiling. "It was truly love at first sight."

"I'd appreciate the real version, not the Lifetime movie. You know that version's just going to end with one of you dying of cancer or something."

A cheeky grin spread across Valon's face. "Fine. Don't have fun with me." He leaned back in his couch, fingers tapping the front of the armrests. "We met a few years ago. Her car broke down and a mutual friend referred her to my shop. I chatted her up. She thought I was a freak, but I won her over with coffee. The rest..." Valon spread his hands. "History."

"Cute," commentated Mai, her tone implying the total opposite.

"Hey. Don't hate on normalcy. Sometimes it's the best thing that could ever happen," quipped Valon.

"Sure."

Valon's face morphed into an exasperated look. "Okay. Come on. Enough with the sass. What do you really want to say about us?"

Mai turned her eyes on him, making sure that every bit of her radiated indifference. "You make an interesting couple, is all," she said with a half-hearted shrug. _I never thought in a million years it would be her_ was the selfish truth she held back.

"I could say the same about you and Joey." Valon pointed a finger at her in reminder.

It was Mai's turn to roll her eyes. "Oh, this again? Haven't we been through it already?"

"These kind of things beg repeating," said Valon. "Am I going to hear the lovely epic of how Joseph Wheeler and Mai Valentine came to be joined in a marital union?"

"You know sometimes we play that 'each story earns a story' game?" asked Mai. He nodded. "Tonight isn't it."

"Aw, Mai!" laughed Valon. "Do we need a round of beers to get you to open up?"

"Obviously not!" she retorted. "You're not turning me into an alcoholic! Is this some big grand plan of yours? Revert us back into the crazies we used to be?"

The smirk on Valon's face froze. Mai realized just what she'd said, and felt the color rising into her face.

And just at that moment—there had never been an example of better timing in their lives—the front door swooshed open and slammed close. "I'm home!" rang out Joey's voice throughout the little house. His things dropped to the floor with an audible thud and his footsteps trailed into the living room.

"Hey Mai," said Joey, heading over to the couch she lay. He leaned over to give her cheek a kiss. "I'm home."

"I heard," said Mai, turning away from both the men. She didn't need Valon seeing her reddened cheeks, but she just as much didn't want Joey catching that either.

The move was unnecessary. Joey was standing up again, and his attention was diverted to his sister's boyfriend.

"Bentley," said Joey, a frostiness in his voice that no one could mistake. Mai closed her eyes so that she could roll them without being seen.

"Wheeler," said Valon, still cheerful. "Good to see you. I was wondering when you'd get home. Rough day?"

"Fine," grunted Joey, rounding the couch to sit at the edge of Mai's feet. "You?"

"Same," replied Valon, still polite. How on earth could he talk to Joey like they were old buddies? Mai would never understand. "Tiring though. I, uh, think I'm going to head up and shower." He got up, rubbing his palms on the side of his dark jeans as he flashed them a winsome smile. "Night, guys."

"Night," replied Mai, returning his grin with a small smile. His grin grew just a little wider, and then he left, bounding up the stairs.

Joey was mumbling nonsensical things under his breath. Mai kicked—okay, so it was more of a nudge—his shin.

"Joey," she reprimanded him. "We talked about this, didn't we?"

He gave her a foul glare. "Yes. What was going on in here before I came in?"

"Just a chat," said Mai carelessly, turning to her book. She made a great show of flipping through her book for the page. "Nothing big."

"Can't stand the guy," muttered Joey, leaning back into the couch. He leaned his neck onto the edge, rolling his head back. "Can Saturday come any earlier?"

"You're such a kid," said Mai. She sighed and shook her head. "Is that going to change?"

Joey angled his head towards her. "Nope. Never."

She couldn't help the sigh that breathed past her lips. "So what's going on tomorrow?" she asked, still not looking up. "You got plans?"

"I'm taking Serenity out for breakfast," said Joey. "And then something else, I think. I haven't thought about it yet."

"Have you talked to her about it?" asked Mai. "How do you know she doesn't have something to do with Valon?"

"She's saved me a day," said Joey with a shrug. "And I'll remind her later tonight. Oh!" He sat forward, slapping his hands together. "I just remembered. Now that she's back, the whole gang wants to get together for dinner."

"Really? Where?"

"Hotpot," said Joey. "Tea found this restaurant on that block where Club Avalon is. Will you be free?"

"I can be," said Mai, running her schedule through her mind. Everything seemed in order "Is _he_ welcome?"

The grimace was almost automatic. "Yugi insisted. But if I have my way, he'll be chained to door outside watching us eat."

This time it was a real kick. "Be nice," she reprimanded him.

"Right, right," said Joey, getting up from the couch. "Goddamnit woman, you're going to leave me a bruise."

"What, can't let your wifey kick you?"

"Mai," he said, walking around the couch to brush his finger down her nose. "That's called _domestic abuse_. It's kind of serious, you know."

"Is it?" Mai smirked, winking at her husband. "That'll be doing me a favor. I won't have you stealing all the sheets at night anymore."

"Mai!" He leaned close to her nose. "Take that back!"

She pushed him away. "Go take a shower, you reek."

He laughed and gave her cheek a quick peck. "I'm going to find Serenity. Tell her my plans."

"You go do that." Mai watched her husband lope out of the room. When she looked down at her page, she realized that she'd been twisting the ring on her finger. There was an imprint of the sharp diamonds on the fleshy part of her thumb and forefinger, something she'd hardly felt.

Firmly, she set her hands on either sides of her book and tried to keep on reading. She got through about two paragraphs before realizing none of it made sense. And reading it over made her realize how much she was really starting to hate this main character who constantly griped about how her current boyfriend just paled in comparison to the childhood romance who left her scarred for life.

That was cutting it a bit close to home. Patience overwrought, she slammed the book onto the coffee table, ripped off the blanket, and made herself walk up the stairs to her bathroom, thinking that the only thing that would calm her nerves now was a blazing hot shower.

* * *

"So breakfast," said Serenity as Joey wound his way through the morning traffic the next morning. "Where are we heading off to?"

"This place," said Joey evasively, leaning one arm on the wheel. His car, Serenity had been surprised to find, was an old green Honda CR-V, totally different from Mai's a bit ostentatious Mini. But it fit him, she decided. The car was right for her brother. "Why don't you guess? That'll be fun."

"Big brother, my patience can only stretch so far," she reminded him, letting a slight whine into her voice. Joey smirked.

"Just be calm," he told his baby sister. "What are you craving this morning?"

"We had hotcakes yesterday," said Serenity. The car rolled to a stop at the intersection and then Joey sped off again.

"That we did," agreed Joey. "What, you can't do repeats?"

Serenity shook her head. "Just shut up and drive, you idiot. I'm starving. It better be close."

"It is," said Joey, glancing over with a quick grin. "So close that when we get there, you're going to be falling all over your feet in excitement."

"Sure," said Serenity with a laugh. Joey pulled off the freeway and drove through some familiar streets. These were the rough, partly shady ones that they'd spent their early childhoods roaming when there was no one to watch them. Serenity spotted the old donut shop where she'd gone after school with Joey when he'd somehow managed to scrounge up enough change for a pastry. And there was the old laundromat their mother took them to every week when she remembered they were out of clothes.

But in the years since she'd moved away, the whole place looked cleaned up. It was less grimy, had less unscrupulous looking people milling about. Maybe now, it was safe enough for her to walk alone.

Not that she'd ever risk it.

"Here," said Joey as he found a parking spot in front of one particularly rundown café. Serenity got out of the car, at first skeptical, but then a grin spread across her face.

"Oh _yes_," she said happily. "God, I've missed this place."

She really should have seen this coming. It was a little restaurant they'd always come to as kids, before their parents had so bitterly split them apart. For years, especially after moving to Australia, Serenity had dreamt of sweet and sticky koshihikari rice with a poached egg floating above a salty dashi broth. A Japanese breakfast was just hard to find in Australia.

She bounded into the restaurant, not even waiting for Joey. The hostess gave her free reign over the place so she slid into a booth beside the window.

"You're really excited," said Joey, laughing as he sat across from her. "If I knew you'd be like this, I probably would've brought a camera. Know what you want?" he asked as the waitress dropped menus on their table. She nodded—she didn't need to look. The waitress jotted their orders and took the menus away.

"This brings back so many memories," said Serenity, leaning her elbows onto the table and propping her cheek on her fists. She inhaled deeply. "Wow, it even smells the same."

"And what does it smell like?" asked Joey, taken aback.

"Like I'm about to get a taste of home," said Serenity, closing her eyes in bliss. "Big brother, you are the absolute _best_ for taking me here."

He smirked. "Bet that Valon doesn't know you half as well as your big brother does."

At the mention of Valon's name, Serenity knew she could turn the conversation. "Joey," she started, folding her arms onto the table. She gave him her best this-is-serious-and-I-mean-it stare. "Look, I think we need to talk about it."

Just as instantly, her brother's demeanor cooled. "What, are you going to be like Mai, tell me to be nicer?"

"No, no," said Serenity. "Although you really didn't need to glower at him so much last night. I feel like you were trying to start a fire with your eyes."

Joey shrugged. "I just can't like the guy."

"I know you." She tried to give her brother her best smile. "You just need some time. I know. I'm willing to give you more if you tell me what you've got against him."

"Nothing," said Joey, his voice curt. "I just don't trust him."

She tried to keep her voice from rising. "Why not?"

"Serenity," said Joey as he leaned his elbows onto the table. "You said you knew all about what happened to Valon. Obviously, that means you totally understand why I have so many…doubts about him."

Right, she'd forgotten about that little lie. But she could still salvage this.

"But the more I thought about it," she said, "the more I wanted to hear it from my big brother's lips. You're so important to me, Joey. I want to hear your side."

"Just accept that I don't like the guy, okay? And I pretty much never will."

"Joey," said Serenity, sobering. "I love him. Can't you just at least get along with him for me?"

He stared at her, as if he had never quite seen his sister so clearly before. "I know you've always accepted the best in people," he said, "but what kind of person have you become that you could love him and his past?"

This she had no answer for, not unless she wanted to admit to her brother that she'd lied. "I love him," she repeated. "And you know what's funny is that you're the only person treating him so badly. Even Mai is sort of...kind of nice to him. Shouldn't she stand by you and hate everyone you hate?"

Joey gave her a wry smile. "If you're saying that about Mai, then you know nothing about her. _No one_ tells her what to do."

Right. Of course Mai would never let herself get ordered around. It was the one quality of hers that Serenity could admit of trying to emulate. Her fearlessness—although sometimes, that meant recklessness—was something that was completely Mai and no one else could take that away from her.

But in a relationship, weren't the two parts supposed to more or less be one? Of course, there things that would separate them, but more or less, weren't the two parts supposed to stand in solidarity with each other?

That was a question to which Serenity was sure she knew the answer to.

However, it was not what she wanted to talk to Joey about at the moment.

"Joey," said Serenity, trying again. "Look. I want to hear it from you. What really happened during Doma? On your side?"

"What, you don't trust your boyfriend?" sniped Joey, perhaps unintentionally being a bit aggressive. The waitress set a plate of creamy scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns on Joey's side of the table with some trepidation. Serenity tried to give her her best grateful smile as the waitress set down her more traditional breakfast.

But the waitress didn't notice, only fled away without another word. Serenity looked away. Clearly, she was fighting a losing battle on all fronts.

"Forget it," she said, reaching for her spoon. "Forget I ever brought this up."

* * *

When Joey and Serenity left the house for their private breakfast, Mai savored the free space in bed. She rolled over and stretched out her limbs like a cat, then spread herself like a starfish on the mattress. Sometimes, you just needed to hog a king-size bed all to yourself.

But in the end, even a bed that size became too warm to stay in and Mai got up. She showered and made herself appropriate for the world, throwing on some black leather leggings and a ribbed white tank. She gathered her hair up into a messy bun at the top of her head and headed down the stairs.

The kitchen was empty when she got there, and she bustled around to make food. She set the coffee maker on and scrounged up some fruit and yogurt from the fridge. Breakfast prepared, she settled herself into the kitchen island and reached for a magazine. She was just about to pour herself a cup of coffee when sleepy footsteps pattered into the kitchen. Valon, his hair a mess and his eyes blotchy, pulled out a stool and collapsed into it.

Mai couldn't help but snicker. "What, someone couldn't sleep well last night?"

"I slept fine," said Valon. He arched his back, feeling for his spine. "Sort of. I don't know. Where's Serenity?"

"She and Joey went out for breakfast," said Mai. "Want a coffee?"

Valon rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, that'd be great. Black, no sugar. Well, maybe just one cube."

"Got it." She reached for another mug and poured in a good measure of coffee. She picked out a sugar cube and dumped it in, then pushed it towards him. "Tell me if you need anything else."

He didn't answer, just downed the whole thing. Mai leaned back, warming her hands around the ceramic. It wasn't until he slammed his mug back onto the counter that she took a sip of hers.

"Awake now?" she asked with a laugh. Valon glanced at her, shook his head like a wet dog, then nodded.

"Completely," he exclaimed, effervescent as ever. "That completely hit the spot. What coffee do you buy?"

"Some Turkish kind," said Mai. "I'm trying it out. Do you like it?"

"Pretty good," said Valon. "So cool now, huh Mai, that you can drink all this bizarre coffee?"

Mai flashed him her cheekiest smile. "I've always loved the good life, Valon. You know me."

"I do," he replied. "So I guess that's why you're at home today instead of work?"

"Something like that," she said with a shrug. "I'm not really needed today so I thought I'd take it easy.."

"Hm," said Valon. He walked over to the coffee pot and poured himself some more. "I'm free. You're free. What do you say to a day to ourselves?"

From that alone, her day just perked up. Mai grinned over the rim of her coffee cup.

"I'd say hell yes."

* * *

**Author's Note: **After a yearlong hiatus, here is Chapter Six! I hope it didn't disappoint. Thanks for reading!


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